This ‘winter’ I have headed North. Very north, in fact, starting in Alaska. I am writing this on the plane from Vancouver.

I put ‘winter’ in quotes because the big advantage of crossing the equator is the season reversal. (Though surprisingly, the temperature is the same at home in Australia as it is in Anchorage, Yorkshire, Amsterdam, and Dublin this week!)

If you are a charity or non-profit bod living in Anchorage (13 July – be quick!) Dublin (1-2 September), Amsterdam (6 or 7 Sep) or Vienna (19 or 20 Sep) I really hope that I may get chance to catch up with you there.

Across those cities, I will be presenting on one or two of the three topics that I think offer the most fundraising opportunity to charities worldwide in 2016.

Not that I think these should replace any fundraising activity that is already working for you, but all could help enhance your current program, or be a new ‘thing’ in your portfolio.

• Legacies/bequests. By far and away the most important source of revenue per donor, and the area with the most potential from current databases of direct mail donors.
• Mid and major donors. The fastest, easiest and cheapest way to make more from your current database, and extend the life of current donor acquisition methods. You may have already noticed my passion for this area with the fifteen or so emails/blogs or articles I have written on the topic recently!
• Digital fundraising, especially using Facebook and looking globally.

Wherever you live, if you have a direct mail program, I bet you could do better with the first two legacies and mid/major donors.

Making digital fundraising work is a bit more challenging and is not for everyone. The three secrets to making digital work are:

• A fantastic, strong, social offer
• A message people would be willing to share with their friends AND take action.
• “I need to do something about this” is the feeling you want, not “Someone needs to do something about this.”
• The right audience. Older people give more. But getting a big enough volume of older donors is challenging. Facebook is the key, and the larger your reach (why not global?) the better chance of success.
• Budget and knowledge. Strategic growth in digital fundraising is not free. Whether out-sourced or in-house, you need to pay for development, creative, media and integrate with a phone.

If you want to know more about these topics…
… and you are in Anchorage (13 July) or Dublin (1-2 August) click on the city to find out more.
… and you are in Amsterdam (6 or 7 Sep) or Vienna (19 or 20 September) click on the city to email your interest to the relevant people.
… but if you are not available in those places above, email me [email protected] and ask me any questions, or for help if need be!

See you soon!

Sean